Rail joint and chair.



W. H. LESH. y

RAIL JOINT AND GHAIR. APPLIMTION FILED Nov. s, '1911.v

1,075,044. Patented 00t.7,1913.

217/@ 091 es: A," l

'.WIL'LIAM H. LESH, OF'DES MONES, IOWA.

RAIL JOINT AND cHAra.

intacta."

Specific-ation of Letters Patent.

)Patented @et 7, 1913.

Application filed ANovember 8, 1911. Serial No. 659,565.

To all whom t may concern: l

` Be it known that l, WILLIAM H. LESH, a

haveinvented a new and useful Rail Joint and Chair, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of this invention is to -provide an improved construction forrailway rail joints.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means forsupporting abuttingl end portions of railway rails.

A furtherobject of this .invention is to provideA improved means forconnecting abutting end portions of railway rails so as to permitexpansion and contraction` of said rails in any direction withoutdamageto the connecting means.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claimsandillustrated by the accompanying drawing,'in which- Figure 1 is a plan ofportions of abutting railway rails embodying my 'improvements. Fig. 2 isa sidefelevation .of the same. F ig. 3 is an opposite side elevation ofthe same. Fig. 4 is a vertical oross-secf tion on the indicated line4`4of Fig. 1. F ig. 5 is aside elevation of a shoulder bolt employed inmy construction and Fig. 6 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 5.Figs.l

r 5 andv 6 are on a scale enlarged relative to the other views.

In the construction of the device as shown t-he numerals 10, 11designate abutting end portions of railway rails. The ball or tread,

. web and central portion of the 'base of each rail 10, 11 is cut on anangle of 45 degrees as at 12 and the remaining portion of the base oneach side is cut perpendicular to the longitudinaltrend of the rail asat 13.

The ends of the rails 10, 11 normally v.are

breaking or sagging thereof and sagging of the joint of the rails 10,11. Angle fish* plates or splice bars 18, 19 are mounted on oppositesides of the rails 10, 11 and overlie thefjoint thereof. The splice bars18, l19 are -spaced from the webs and base flanges of the rails topermit of expansion and contraction of the rails in any direction underthe influence of changes of temperature independent of `the splice bars.Thesplice bars-18, 19 are secured to the rails 10, 11 by means of-spacedbolts 20 passingthrough their-verticalvlanges and through the webs ofthe rails and secured by nuts 21 ontheir threaded end portions. Thebolts 20 are formed with-shoulders 22 (see Figs. 5 and 6) throughout aconsiderable portion of their lengthsand said shoulders are ofelliptical formin cross-section, or are lat tened and formed withrounded edges'. In one dimension the shoulders 22 are of approximatelythe same thickness as the body of the-bolt as shown in Fig. 6, and inthe other transverse dimension said shoulders are considerably thickerthan said body. The shoulder .of each bolt 2() is received within andlits snugly to an elliptical hole inthe upright flange of the splice bar18 and passes loosely through a slot 23 in the web of the rail 10 or.11. The.shoulder 22 projects slightly beyond the farther side of theweb of the rail and the body of the bolt 20 vis received within andjlitssnugly to a circular hole in the upright flange-of the splice bar 19 andthe inner face of said splice barrests againstfthe end of the shoulder22 -and is held thereby in spaced relations to the web of the rail. Thus-when the nut- 21 is tightened on the bolt 20 force will'be-applied to.draw the splice bars .18, 19 together so far as permitted by theshoulder.22, but no force will be applied ou, the web of either rail by the boltor by either splice bar. The splice bars 1S, 19 also are secured to therails 10, 11 by -means of spaced vertical `bolts 24 passing throughtheir base ianges and through the base flanges of the rails on eachside.

The bolts 24 are similar in construction to the bolts 20 above describedand the shoulders thereof are received Awithin and fit snugly toelliptical holes in the chair 14 and pass loosely through longitudinalslots v25 in the'base flanges of the rails. The base flanges of thesplice bars 18,19 resten the fao ends of the shouldersof the bolts 24,which shoulders project slightly above the upper surfaces of the'baseflanges 'of vthe rails, thus supporting the splice bars -in spacedrelations to said rails. The body' portions of the bolts 24' passthrough and are fitted ,to circular holes in the base ianges lofthesplice bars 18, 19 and said splice bars are preferably formed withplateaus or bosses 26 surrounding said holesand formed with level upperfaces against Which the nuts 27 are adapted to be screwed on the bolts.r1`hus when the nuts 27 are tightened on the bolts 24 force will beapplied to `draw the base flanges of the splice bars 18, 19 toward thechair 14 so far 'as permitted by the'shoulders` of the bolts; but'noforce will be applied-to the base anges of either rail by the 'bolt orby said splice bars. l

In practical use the trussed chair 14 provides a firm support for therail jointl and prevents sagging thereof under the Weight of therolling-stock. The diagonal cutting of the ends of therails 10,-- 11causes them t-o form conjunctively a continuous tread ysurface andprevents undue Wearing of the endsvof the rails. The spacing apart ofthe ends of the rails and the formation foflon.- gitudin'al slots in theWebs and 4base iianges thereof to receive loosely the connecting bolts20, 24 permits of longitudinal eXpansion'and contraction of the railsand the the nuts thereof b movement ofthe rails,

asis common in t e ordinary construction of rail joints.l

I prefer to make the chair 14 with outstanding apertured earsi 28, 29 onopposite' sides. of its respective ends, and to secure said chair to theties 15, 16 by means of bolts 30, 31 passing through said apertured earsand through the ties. This lends solid- .ity to the joint and preventscreeping of the rails.

I claim as my ILnventlonw 1. A rail joint, comprising, 1n combination,abutting ends of rails, a trussed chair adaptedrto be supported at itsends and supporting abutting end portions of the rails, angle splicebars on opposite sides of and overlapping the joint between said rails,bolts connecting middle portions of said splice bars through the Webs ofsaid rails,` said bolts formed with shoulders adapted to hold the splicebars in spaced relations to the rails, said rails formed withlongitudinal lslots loosely receiving said bolts. and bolts connectingmarginal portions of said splice bars to the chair and passing looselythrough the base flanges of the rails.

2. A rail joint, comprising, incombination, abutting ends of rails, asuitable sup* port therefor, fish-plates on opposite sides of andoverlapping the joint between said rails, and bolts fitting snugly inholes in said fish-plates and passing through longitudina-l slots in thewebs of the rails, said bolts formed with Shoulders adapted to limitmovement of said fish-plates toivard the Webs of the rails, wherebysaidv rails may expand or contract in any direction Without damage to,said connecting bolts.

A rail joint, comprising, in combination, abutting ends of rails, a'trussed chair .supporting end portions of said rails, angle ysplice barsmounted on opposite sldes of and overlapping the joint between saidrails, bolts connecting said splice bars through the webs of the rails,said Webs formed with slots adapted loosely to receive 'said bolts, andbolts connecting said splice bars to said chair through the base flangesofthe rails, said base flanges formed With slots loosely receiving saidbolts, said splice bars being spaced by said bolts laterally andvertically from said rails.

Signed by me at Des Moines, Iowa, this 22d day of April, 1911.

WILLIAM H. LEsH.

-Witnesses S. C. SWEET, t EARL M. SiNoLAnz.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents washington, D. c.

